These Trees Have Secret Native American Codes. Their Meaning? Brilliant!

Cassandra is the Senior Editor of Original Content. She loves sweet tea, binge-watching Antiques Roadshow, and petting puppies.

Have you ever been walking through the woods and noticed an oddly shaped tree? If you’re like me, chances are you probably didn’t give it any thought and simply continued on your way.

But once you learn about about Dennis Downes, I guarantee you’ll never look at trees the same way again!

For nearly 30 years, Dennis has been touring America’s countryside, searching for and documenting unique trees. He’s even built a special society around them!

But these trees, totally inconspicuous save for their strange shapes, have a very special place in America’s history — and serve a fascinating purpose! Over 100 years ago, these trees were purposefully bent, and their odd shapes communicate very important messages.

But these trees aren’t as rare as you might think! They can actually be found all around the country — perhaps even in your own backyard! (For a special tutorial on how to spot these amazing trees, be sure to watch Dennis’ video at the bottom!)

Have you ever seen anything like this? I certainly hadn’t! But I’ll be on the lookout next time I’m taking a walk through the woods!

Please SHARE if you are fascinated by the special meaning of these trees!

Before roads and cars, before electricity and the internet, all we had to depend upon was nature.

Called "marker trees," or "trail trees," saplings were carefully bent by a local Native American tribe, forcing them to grow in unnatural shapes.

These formations communicated a special message to the tribe members. This tree stands upon a geographical divide, said to mark the boundary between two local tribes. Hence the reason it points in opposite directions.

Later, European settlers would often use these trail markers for guidance to the same resources: fresh water, mineral deposits, and safe-crossing points.

In the late 1800s, historical societies conducted a lot of research on these special trees and their preservation, but in modern times, these trail markers are very rare, and thus, there is not much left to study or maintain.